Is Chromebox viable for classroom replacement?

Chromebooks have been out for a while now and have made a huge impact in 1 to 1 initiatives for many school districts around the country.  What makes them so attractive is the long battery life that can last an entire school day and the ability to boot into the O/S in under 5 seconds.

For some time now I have been looking at alternatives to desktops in the classroom.  At the school district I work for we have 4 student computers per classroom in K-8, which is costly when it comes to electricity usage and keeping up with life cycle replacement.  Thin clients had been promising due to each unit using anywhere from 20 to 65 watts, depending on the device, and reduced work orders for fixing viruses and Windows issues.  Although the initial investment is still high with the servers and software licensing required for virtualization.

What is a Chromebox?

The Google Chromebox is relatively new low cost option which is similar to the Chromebook as far as running the Chrome OS but it doesn't come with peripherals or a screen.  Most models have USB ports, HDMI or display port for video, LAN port, and built in wireless.  The Chromebox also only uses 65 watts of power making it a attractive replacement for desktops.  The ASUS model ships with a 16 GB SSD hard drive allowing for some local storage if needed.

With everything moving to the cloud and having all services being web based, there is very little need for windows based systems in the classroom.  Sure, you still need Windows based computers for your labs to meet course requirements that run productivity systems like Office, video editing, and CAD. In the classrooms though there is little need for Windows when Chrome OS can handle Google Docs, web browsing, and other web based services.

Let's talk about savings

The ASUS Chromebox runs for a total of $209.99, $179.99 for the box and $30 for the license. This can be a significant savings when it comes to life cycle replacement compared to paying $500 per desktop computer.  For our district we would need to replace 488 units, which would be a total cost of $102,475. Compared to buying desktops it would be a savings of $141,525.  Not to mention the huge cost savings per year on the electric bill, going from 350 watt power supplies to 65 watt.

Other thoughts

Other things to think about is reduced licensing cost for Microsoft Office and antivirus since it is already built in, so one less thing to worry about if you happen to pay for antivirus. By going the route of Chromeboxes it should significantly reduce work orders and allow an organization to increase devices without having to hire additional tech staff.

For the next school year we plan on testing this with a couple of classrooms for the first semester and see how teachers and students react to the devices.  If it ends up working out well, it very well could be a full replacement option in the future.

Have you considered looking into Chromeboxes?

Thinking about going One to One? Read This First

Going one to one at your school district is a huge decision that can impact you for years go come. How can you be sure you are ready for it? There are many factors that need to be addressed before even considering a one to one initiative. If you are in good shape infrastructure wise you can begin moving forward with what types of hardware you would like to go with.

Infrastructure Needs
First you need to see if your existing infrastructure can support a one to one initiative in your district.  Is your wireless network running N speeds and do you have enough wireless coverage?  Do all of your switching segments have fiber optic up links between them? Are segments of your network running at Gigabit?  Is your internet bandwidth enough to support cloud computing and one to one?  Most of these numbers rely entirely on the size of your district and can vary widely what your needs may be.  If you have all of your bases covered in these areas then you should be ready to start researching which hardware you would like to move to.

Hardware: Tablets, E-Readers, Laptops?
So many decisions when it comes to which hardware to choose.  Let's start off with tablets, we have iPad, Android, & Microsoft based tablets to choose from.  The problem with the iPad is it doesn't have flash which eliminates a lot of websites on the internet from ever reaching our classrooms.  Android based devices do have flash but you may not be able to get the same hardware in a few months of your purchase.  The hardware is changing all the time and parts are hard to come by.  Microsoft based tablets are great, they run Windows 7 but they have a high price point which can stop a one to one project dead in it's tracks.

E-Readers have a great price point and both the Kindle Fire & Nook Tablet share the Android market place which is a huge plus. They also feature the ability to rent books and textbooks from the device.  Lastly laptops are a standard device we have known for years that just works.  Lenovo just came out with a 15" laptop that sells for $350 and is much more powerful than a netbook.  It's an excellent price point plus you get a device that runs Windows 7.

A big issue with marketplace devices is the apps can bleed you dry on licensing.  Think about all the apps you might need then how many times you will have to purchase said app on the marketplace.  The numbers will easily pile up.  That's why I prefer having a Windows device because you can get site licensing for software or access everything you need from the web (compared to iPad with the flash limitations).

How to Manage?
This is the biggest question for all of these devices, how the heck am I going to manage them all?  You wouldn't hand out 700 tablets to your high school students without a way to manage them right?  I have seen some presentations on software that are supposed to help you manage tablets but they are lackluster and far from being polished.  There is limitations on what policies can be put in place and no real way to image each tablet.  Pushing out updates and applications is a real pain where you are still touching every device.  My techs don't have enough time to touch that many units.

Laptops are Still the Answer
To be able to manage a one to one initiative we need Window 7.  Why?  Most of us are managing our networks with Microsoft Domains or Novell.  This allows us to continue managing the devices with our current infrastructure.  I use Novell Zenworks to manage all of our computers in the district and by going with laptops I will be able to easily move into a one to one initiative.

Waiting for Microsoft
I am really hoping the Microsoft Surface Tablet that was just announced last week is the answer we have been looking for.  When looking for one to one devices I set my price point at $400 or less.  I think this is a price point that is achievable for maintaining a one to one initiative at our district.  Supposedly this is supposed to be a big iPad competitor and have a similar price point.  There is also the Acer Iconia which I have read good reviews on, it runs Windows 7 but it sell for $545.  That's still above the price point I look for but the price has been dropping over the last year.  Maybe in 6 to 8 months it might get closer to $400.  If I can get a tablet that runs Windows 7 or 8 then I will be able to manage the devices easily and finally move away from laptops.

Next semester we are going to roll out a pilot of 30 laptops at our high school to start our first one to one project.  This was we can iron out the bugs and streamline the whole process before we give it to an entire grade level.